主|ぬしnushi[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounhead (of a household, etc.); leader; master
2. nounowner; proprietor; proprietress
3. nounsubject (of a rumour, etc.); doer (of a deed)
   のろいはのろい主ぬしに返かえる。↗

   Curses, like chickens, come home to roost.
4. nounguardian spirit (e.g. long-resident beast, usu. with mystical powers); long-time resident (or employee, etc.)
5. nounhusband
6. pronounyou

• Synonym主人しゅじんNeutralHead of a household or owner of a shop; the everyday word. 「主（ぬし）」 leans toward the owner of a thing, the old-timer of a place, or the doer of an act.
• SynonymマスターNeutralLoanword for the proprietor of a bar or café, or for mastering a skill; common in speech.
• Synonym主君しゅくんWrittenThe lord a retainer serves and pledges loyalty to; carries a feudal flavour and is mostly found in written or historical prose.
• SynonymホストNeutralLoanword for the host of a party or summit, or a worker at a male host club; the emphasis is on receiving and entertaining guests.
• Synonym主人役しゅじんやくNeutralThe person who acts as host or toastmaster at a banquet or party, running things and looking after guests; tied to such occasions.
• Synonym主公しゅこうWrittenA lord or master whom one serves; historical in colour, mostly written language, and rarely used today.
• Related殿様とのさまNeutralA feudal lord (daimyo) of the Edo period, or a sheltered, arrogant man who knows nothing of the world.
• Related持ち主もちぬしNeutralThe owner or possessor of a thing; the closest of these words to 「主（ぬし）」.
• RelatedオーナーNeutralLoanword for the owner or boss of a business, such as a sports team owner; common in speech.
• Related雇い主やといぬしNeutralAn employer — the party who hires and pays workers; the focus is the employment relationship, and it never refers to the owner of a thing.
• Related所有者しょゆうしゃWrittenThe legal owner of property or assets; a formal, written-register word, as in 「土地の所有者」.
• Related経営者けいえいしゃNeutralThe person who runs a company or organization; the emphasis is on managing the business, and it does not mean the owner of a thing.
• Related所持者しょじしゃWrittenThe holder of an item, with the nuance of having it in hand or on one's person; a written word that never carries the old-spirit sense of 「池の主」.
• Antonym家来けらいWrittenA retainer or vassal serving a lord or samurai family; historical in colour, and the opposite side of the master–servant relationship.
• Antonym下僕げぼくWrittenA male servant; a written, literary word standing at the opposite pole from 「主」 in the sense of master.

Use 「主（ぬし）」 for the master of a thing or place or its old resident — an old fish or spirit, as in 「池の主」 — and for the one behind a sound or deed, as in 「声の主」; 「家の主」 is possible too, though 「主人」 is the usual word for the head of a household. For the owner of an item say 「持ち主」, for the host of a party 「ホスト」, and for a retainer 「家来」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. （ぬし）
2. ある領域りょういきや組織そしきを治おさめている人ひと。主人しゅじん。
3. あなた。
4. 行為こういをする者もの。行為こういの主体しゅたい。
5. 大部分だいぶぶん。大切たいせつな部分ぶぶん。核心かくしんの部分ぶぶん。おもだつ部分ぶぶん。
6. キリスト教きりすときょうにおける神かみ、イエス・キリストの別称べっしょう。